The invention relates generally to battery devices and systems and, more particularly, to a vehicle battery management system.
Batteries composed of one or more electrochemical cells capable of converting chemical energy into a more readily usable form of electrical energy are widely employed in many industries and applications. For example, many such batteries are starting, lighting, and ignition (SLI) batteries capable of starting the internal combustion engines of motorcycles, cars, trucks, and other vehicles. Batteries of this type can typically be discharged and replenished with charge in multiple cycles before the life cycle of the battery is depleted. Typically, when an end user purchases a new battery, for example, for integration into a vehicle, such as a motorcycle, the charge level of the battery is unknown. Unfortunately, upon insertion into the user's vehicle, the battery may not function if the charge level of the battery has been depleted, for example, during the time the battery was on a display shelf before purchase. Additionally, charging of such batteries typically requires connection of lead cables to the battery terminals, which can be cumbersome and time consuming. Accordingly, there exists a need for battery systems that overcome these drawbacks of traditional systems.